


But above all this, I wish you love

by DarkPirateLightSwan



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-05 06:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10299686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkPirateLightSwan/pseuds/DarkPirateLightSwan
Summary: While Pinocchio works on the wardrobe, Emma sneaks off to check on old Hook. *6B Spoilers* I'm terrible at summaries





	

**Author's Note:**

> After watching the 6B premiere this kind of got stuck in my head since I didn't love Emma and old Hook's interaction. I hope you enjoy!

A cream color gown was not a good choice for sneaking around, Emma thought to herself as she peaked out of the alley way she was hiding in. Pinocchio said it would take a few hours to carve out the trunk of the tree and Emma was too restless to just stand there and watch him work. So instead she poofed herself down to the docks figuring if Regina can run off with bizzaro-Robin, she could at least check on Killian.

So that’s where she found herself now, hiding in the alley, the Jolly Roger in sight. She had to be sneaky and she had to be fast, she couldn’t risk being recognized again. Pulling her hood on, she hiked up her skirts prepared to dash down the dock to the Jolly. Quickly she darted from her hiding place, her shoes clicking on the stone road under her feet. She was so close, the lanterns on deck grew nearer as her pace increased. But just as she passed the tavern, the door swung open and a few drunk patrons fell out into the streets. Startled, Emma darted in another dark alley, narrowly avoiding the group of rowdy men. Pressing her back to the wall, she tried her best to shrink into the shadows, but as she tried to conceal herself as much as possible a noise from the other side of the alley caught her attention. A grunt and some laugher. Emma craned her neck to look past some stacked boxes that she was hiding behind to see three men throw someone to the ground. Unable to make out their features as they were silhouetted by the lamps on the street behind them, she strained her ears to listen. 

“You ugly old git!” One man shouted, “I don’t know how you found your way back to that ship but you’ll pay for stowing away.”

The man who was speaking gave the figure on the ground a swift kick to the gut. The person on the ground cried out, but stayed down.

“Captain, doesn’t appreciate stowaways, Hook.” Another spat. “Especially fat drunks who are past their prime.” 

Hook? What the hell…

Emma shot out of her hiding place and raced toward the men just as one raised a dagger.

“Stop!” She shouted at them. The group froze and turned to her.

“What do we have here, boys?” The third man sneered at her, sauntering forward a few steps. “We’re going to finish with this old bastard and we’ll take care of you, pet.”

Emma grimaced at his words, angry filling her. The man with the dagger made a move toward Hook, but Emma was faster. Magic blasted from her hand, blowing the men back. All three hit the opposite wall with a sickening crack and crumpled to the ground. Two got up and made a run for it, leaving the third unconscious on the ground. 

Emma ran to Killian who was still huddled on the ground, clutching his ribs. 

“Oh my god, Killian! Are you ok?” Emma asked searching him for injury. His lip was cut down the middle and some blood was trickling from his hair line.

“Hello, beautiful.” He flirted, trying to smile, but ended up just grimacing. His breath puffed into her face reeking of alcohol. “Don’t worry love, I scared off those scoundrels, you’re safe now.”

Emma smirked at him. “Yea, you sure did a lot of damage.” She laid a hand on his chest and he winced. His ribs were broken. “Well at least your drunken state will help curb the pain for the moment. Let’s get you back to your ship…” 

“Ship?” He squinted at her, his eyes unfocused.

“Yea, the Jolly Roger. Your ship.” She answered, ripped a piece of her cloak to dab the cut on his head.

“Ah the Jolly! Why of course!” He slurred. “I do miss that old girl, haven’t seen her in years.”

“What are you talking about?” Emma stopped what she was doing to look him in the eye.

“Not much of a pirate without a ship, eh? She hasn’t been under my control for quite some time now. But lass don’t let that curb your…. attentions. ” He winked and winced once more.

“Oh.” Was all Emma could say. No ship? We shall see about that, she thought. And with that they disappeared in a cloud of white smoke only to reappear in the captain’s quarters of the Jolly Roger. 

Emma made sure Killian was comfortable on the bed before turning to leave the room.

“Stay here, I’ll be right back.” She threw over her shoulder as she went to exit.

“Wait, love. Where are you going?”

“You once gave up this ship for me, I’m going to get it back for you.” And with that she swept out of the room leaving a drunk and beaten Captain Hook to his own confusion over her words. 

A quarter of an hour past, and in that time Hook slipped in and out of sleep, listening to the muffled cries and shouts of the crew above before feeling a sense of magic wash over him. A moment later, Emma enter the room again looking flushes and a bit of sweat on her forehead. 

“Don’t worry Hook, no one will be able to take a step on board without your strict permission now…Hook?” Emma rushed over to his side, but Hook laid limp on the bed, completely passed out, his flask open on his belly and leaking all over his chest and side.

Emma groaned. She couldn’t leave him like this. 

Well if she’s going to let him sleep it off, she may as well fix him up. Using magic she healed his wounds and repaired his ribs. 

Sighing, she watched him sleep for a while. She couldn’t help herself when she straightened out the charms on the chain he still wore around his neck. She couldn’t help herself when her hand reach out to brush the greasy hair out of his face. And she couldn’t help herself when a small smile crossed her face.

He was still handsome. Even under the thick gray beard and dirty face, he was still handsome. 

“What happened to you here?” Even as she asked it, she knew the answer. She had heard tales. Once Rumpelstiltskin was trapped by her parents, his dagger put under an unbreakable lock by the Blue fairy, Captain Hook tried for many years to find away to get to him to no avail. With his revenge unattainable and unsatisfied, he began to drink heavily. His age caught up and the fight left him as he disappeared to the bottom of a bottle. His crew abandoned him, their Captain broke and too drunk to function most of the time. His ship easily taken by another pirate. He hadn’t even put up a fight. The fierce Captain Hook was now known as nothing more but a common drunk. 

No, he was so much more. He would always be so much more. 

As Emma watched him, her heart began to break. This is not the life he deserved, and for one night, tonight, she would show him compassion and that he matter to someone. So she stripped him of his clothing and cleaned them by magic, replacing his pants but left him shirtless (he always preferred to sleep bare chested). Finding a cloth, some water, and soap, she washed him down as much as she could, cleaning his hair and brushing it through. Her hand lingered on his chest as she worked, shocked at the small and faded swan tattoo on his left pectoral. When had he gotten this? Why? Did he know?

An hour or two later, Hook snorted and began to wake. Shaking his head, he leaned up on his elbows and rubbed his eye. 

“What the devil?” He looked around, he couldn’t possibly be here, but he quickly came to a conclusion. “Ah, finally the sweet release of death.” He sighed falling back into bed and smiling. Of course he was dead, his body felt better than it had in decades, he felt cleaner, even smelled better than usual. 

“You’re awake.” A voice said from the other side of the room. His smile grew wider, that voice sounded like heaven. Cracking an eye open, he turned his head to the side. “How do you feel?” 

“Amazing lass, for a dead man.”

“What?” the beautiful blonde woman asked, her brow furrowed. “You’re not dead.”

“Oh course I am, love. How else would I be in this room with a beautiful angel watching over me.” She blushed prettily.

“Killian, you are not dead.” She said firmly walking over to the bed and sitting on the edge of it. 

Killian cocked his head. “I know you. Princess Ester, right?”

“Emma.”

“Right, Princess Erma.”

“Em-ma.” She said exasperated, over-pronouncing her own name.

“Emma.” Hook repeated, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. “It is a pleasure.” And then he did something that made her catch her breath in her throat. He gave her his famous dazzling smile. 

“Um… yea, right.” He expected her to pull her hand away, but instead she gripped it tighter. For a moment they smiled at each other, until Hook regained his senses. Clearing his throat he looked around. 

“So I’m not dead?”

“Nope.”

“And you are not my guardian angel?”

She laughed at that. “I’m afraid not.”

“Then how, pray tell, have I found my way back to my love once more.” He didn’t miss the odd look that crossed the Princess’s face at his words. “My ship.” He clarified. 

“Right, your ship. Well, what’s a pirate without a ship.” She repeated his words back to him. “Anyway, I owed you so the ship is yours again and is enchanted now, only you can captain her. Only you can allow anyone aboard.”

“Why are you helping me?” The question caught her off guard. “You don’t even know me.”

Emma looked at him for a moment, and he had to admit he felt uncomfortable under her gaze. “Are you happy?”

“Pardon, love?”

“Your life. Are you happy? Because I can’t leave you here, I cant leave you knowing this version of you, any version of you is unhappy.”

Now it was Hook’s turn to study her. “Tell me, why would the princess of Misthaven care whether an old, drunken pirate is happy with his life.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me, love.”

Emma took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Then she launched into a fantastical story about her being a savior and this being a wish realm, but he noticed she distinctly left out anything about himself or how she knew him. 

“That is quite the tale, Princess.” 

“You don’t believe me.” It wasn’t a question.

“Of course I believe you.” 

“Really?” She looked at him incredulously. 

“Princess, I’ve been to many a realm. I’m somewhere around 400 years old. I’ve seen things beyond your wildest dreams. Besides, why would you lie of such things.”

“You trust me? You don’t even know me.”

Hook shrugged a reached for his flask, but found it empty. Tossing it to the side her looked down at his chest just now noticing he didn’t have a shirt anymore. 

“Princess, if you wanted me out of my clothes you just had to ask?” He sneered suggestively and began to unlace his trousers.

Emma laughed.

“Yep, you’re the same Hook alright. No, I’m not trying to sleep with you, your clothes were stained and ripped, but, here, I fixed them for you.” She handed him the clothes that were folded on the desk near the bed. He raised a disbelieving eyebrow, but took the clothing anyway and pulled on the now white and crisp shirt. 

“You didn’t mention one thing in your story, Princess.”

“It’s Emma.”

“Alright then, Emma. You didn’t mention how we knew each other.”

Emma bit her lip. 

“Am I a scalawag in your world as well? Still devilishly handsome, eh?” He smiled at her, wiggling his eyebrows gaining another laugh from the princess.

“No, well yes, you are handsome. You were a villain, but not anymore. You’re a hero now.”

“A hero?” He laughed. “I doubt that, what could have changed Captain Hook into a hero?”

Emma didn’t skip a beat. “Love,” she answered looking him straight in the eye.

Out of all the things he thought she would have said, love was not what he expected. 

“Love?” He rolled the word around his head for a minute. “You’re mistaken, I have not been loved in centuries.”

“You are.” She said it matter-of factly. “You have friends, family, true love.”

“True love, my dear, comes once but a lifetime and my true love died some time ago, so I would appreciate you not toying with me woman!” The anger came quickly, welling up in his chest as he made to get up but suddenly his breath wasn’t coming as easily and a pain in his chest was clutching at him. Emma rushed to help him, giving him some water and helping him lay down.

“Hey relax, Killian. I know its hard to believe, but you are a good man. Despite your past, you are deserving of love.” She soothed him as his breathing evened out again. “What’s going on with you? Are you ok?”

He clenched his jaw in a familiar way, eyes fixed to the ceiling as willed his heart to slow down with a few deep breaths. For a few minutes they sat in silence, the princess watching him carefully and he carefully avoiding her stare.

“Well, love, old ticker isn’t what it use to be. I fear I’m close to the end now.”

“Oh,” Emma thought on that for a moment. “You’re sick.”

“Aye, pretty far along, the rum probably doesn’t help,” He began to cough, Emma sucked in a breath when she saw a bit of blood on his fist once he caught his breath. “But then again, it does.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Tis life, my lady. I have lived longer than any person should. I am ready for the eternal rest.”

“No, I’m sorry that love did not find you again in this life. Every version of you should be loved.” They fell into silence then for a while, until dawn started to peek through the window, giving the room a pink glow. 

“I should probably go, I need to get back to my world…” Emma got up from the edge of the bed to get her cloak. 

“Its you, isn’t it?”

Emma stopped gathering her things and turned to him. 

“Whats me?.” 

“No one has called me Killian in over 300 years, you know.”

“No one has known Killian Jones in 300 years.” She gave him a soft smile. “But I am so happy that I do.” 

She made her way to him slowly then. Hook was sitting up now, his legs hanging over the side of his bed.

“Are we married?”

“No, but I think you’re planning on asking, soon. I…I haven’t made it easy on you.”

“Tell that git the minute you get back that he is a bloody fool.”

She laughed at that.

“Children?”

“Not yet, not together anyway. I have a son and you are a wonderful father figure to him. He loves you very much, he looks up to you.”

The gained a small smile from Hook as well.

“I hope that I know how lucky I am. To have a beautiful woman such as yourself… to have her love.”

“You do. I am lucky too.” Emma was standing close to him now, only a foot or so away. He could smell her perfume, an intoxicating scent that flooded him a sense that he had memories that were just out of reach, to fuzzy to sort out.

“Is this why you are showing an old man such kindness?”

“I love you, Killian Jones. No matter what reality we are in, I love you.” She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was soft and sweet, his hand coming up to hold her cheek. When they broke apart, she kept her forehead against his.

“I think even if I hadn’t known all that, I would have fallen in love with you this very night.” Without opening his eyes, he could feel her smile. Reluctantly, she straightened up and resumed fasting her cloak on her shoulders.

“I’m sorry Killian, I have to go. I need to get back to… well you. And our life together.” Her eyes were sad now as she looked him up and down once more. 

“Emma you have given me something I will treasure the rest of my days. To know, in some other life, your love, well that gives this old pirate something he hasn’t had since he was a boy.”

“What’s that?”

“Hope.”

\----  
Exhaustion didn’t begin to describe what Emma felt when she and Killian finally made it home after she returned to reality and after her fight with Gideon on the street.

Killian helped her undress and ushered her into the shower, and once she was cleaned and dried off, was standing outside the bathroom door with a warm grilled cheese sandwich.

Not much longer after that the two found themselves curled around each other in bed, Emma’s head on his chest as he played with her hair. Despite wanting to fall into a deep sleep, Emma recounted everything to him. 

“You got me back my ship,” He laughed, “I cant imagine a world in which I just gave her up just because I was too lazy to fight for her.”

“Not lazy, just too drunk.” He scoffed at that.

“Thank you for taking care of me.” He kissed her hair.

“It wasn’t real,” She answered and kissed his chest where she was laying her head.

“Doesn’t matter. You still took care of me when you had no obligations to.”

“It wasn’t a matter of obligation. Just seeing you like that, thinking no one loved you. It broke my heart.” Her voice broke as tears began to well up.

“Oh no, hey now.” Killian shifted them so he could look her in the eyes. “That wasn’t real. My life could have easily went that way, yes. But you, my love, came storming into my life and have been my light in the darkness ever since. I love you. And in every world or reality that will never change.”

“You know old Hook told me he fell in love with me in one night.”

“Smart man… though I don’t love that nickname.”

“You have a problem with the name, but not with the description of yourself.” She laughed. He shrugged.

“Seems about right. No revenge met, no woman to love me, no family, no ship… I’m surprised I hadn’t drunk myself dead earlier than that.”

“Don’t say that!” She scolded, and then settled herself down against him again, wiping the last of her tears away. “You were still handsome, and a flirt, even there.”

“Well can you blame me, with such a beautiful princess as my nurse-maid?”

“You know, the other Hook did say something interesting.”

“oh and what was that?”

“That you were ‘bloody fool’ for not marrying me yet.”

Killian was quiet at that. “I’m teasing you, Killian. Although he did say it… but its ok, we can…. Wait, where are you going?” Killian had shifted her to get out of bed. “No, no no no! I don’t want you to do it now…. I, I want to be surprised.” She bit her lip, pulling his arm to get him to lay back down.

“I plan on spending the rest of my life with you, you know this aye?”

“Aye,” He smiled at that. “And I cant wait to see old Hook again, but this time old Swan will be right by his side.”


End file.
